The Running Game

We hope to provide readers with an keener understanding of the game through an occasional feature highlighting an aspect of 49ers’ football. This week, how to watch Frank Gore and the 49ers’ running game:

The offense employs two basic approaches to the running game – the stretch or zone play and the power or gap run. Ninety percent of the 49ers running game is made up of these two concepts.

THE ZONE OR STRETCH

The play was popularized by former Broncos coach Alex Gibbs and is a reason Denver has been a dominant run team for more than a decade. Unlike most running plays, which emphasize straight ahead blocking, the stretch – as it names suggests – is a lateral attack. At the snap, the offensive line starts towards the sideline, when the running back gets the ball, he looks for holes to appear along the defense’s front wall. He then darts through a gap and emerges into the secondary.

Run defenses are defined by players controlling gaps. The defensive linemen and linebackers each have a gap they fill, like spackling a hole in a wall. When an offensive line moves laterally, gaps move too and thus are difficult to maintain. At times, offensive linemen cut block during stretch runs. If a stretch is going to the right for example, the left tackle and sometimes the left guard, try to level their defender in front of them by hurling their bodies at their legs and “cutting” them to the ground. Meanwhile the front side blockers try to create holes by shoving their defenders out of the way.

The key to the stretch play is the vision of the running back. Typically he has what’s called a “three-way go” meaning he has three lanes in which to run. If the cut blocks are successful, he can cut to the backside. He can try to get to the corner if the defense is slow to pursue, or he can try to cut up the middle if he sees a hole.

Gore’s ability to do what running backs coach Bishop Harris calls, “window shopping” is what drives the success of the 49ers’ stretch plays. Gore stealthy moves behind his lineman when he gets the ball while scouring the line with his eyes. When he sees a “window” open in the defense, he bolts through. This is something Gore’s predecessor, Kevan Barlow, struggled with. Barlow’s steps were awkward and choppy as he looked for a hole and then he lacked the acceleration to dart through an open window. Gore handles this aspect of the run game well.

“Window shopping” has a further nuance. With Gore’s eyes and head movements he can hold linebackers so his offensive line has a chance to block them.

When the stretch is working well, defenders grow tentative. If they’re aggressive, Gore will cut back on them. If they’re too cautious, Gore will beat them around the corner.

The gap or power run

While the stretch is horizontal, the power is a vertical, bludgeoning attack. Players often call it “running down hill.” Offensives like to overload one side of the defense by pulling a guard and then leading the play with a fullback or tight end to create what’s known as a “funnel” in the defense. This is where guards Larry Allen and the now-injured Justin Smiley shine.

Allen is big and strong; when he pulls and leads a “power” he often decimates all who are in his path. Gore can then simply follow him into the “funnel” created by Allen, or cut off his block.

Typically in a “power” run Gore has a two-way go – either follow the big behinds of Allen or David Baas or cut back in front of the face of the nose guard or middle linebacker. The power in the 49ers’ 24-14 defeat in Seattle last December was utterly unstoppable. The Seahawks knew it was coming but their reeling defense could do nothing to stop it.

The power is the type of no-nonsense play that can wear out a smaller defense.

The Others

The 49ers will salt in other types of runs, including the draw. The play dubs defenders into thinking it’s a pass and then while they rush in, Gore takes the hand off and speeds by them.

What to look for

The stretch and power can sometimes be hard to distinguish, because the stretch can also employ a pulling guard and a fullback. But you can usually tell if it’s a stretch if the offensive lineman are angling at the snap. What destroys the stretch is knowledgeable, quick linebackers and defensive linemen who penetrate. It’s one reason why the 49ers have struggled with Chicago the last few years. With the power, the o-line typically goes straight ahead.

If the stretch is working, look to see if Gore is holding the linebackers with his “window shopping” or if the offensive line is getting smoothly to the linebackers. If the power succeeds, watch Allen and Baas, fullback Moran Norris, and tight ends Billy Bajema and Vernon Davis to see if they’re getting their blocks. Both plays can be beautiful to watch when they’re working. When they’re not, often you can isolate the reason why.

One Other Note

On gaps runs, blockers are assigned specific linebackers or defensive line to block. In the stretch or “zone” block, they are only trying to create a hole, so they don’t have to seek out a particular player. There are two types of zone runs, outside and inside. Outside runs involve longer strides by the offensive linemen and a wider track by the running back.